Outside molding or reveal



Patented Nov. 6, 1934 rest-4123 I UNITED sr OUTSIDE MOLDING R REVEAL Charles Yd. Widrnan, Detroit, Mich, assignor to The Murray Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application January 26, 1931, Serial No. 511,178

4 Claims. (Cl. 296+ i4) This invention relates to the construction and attachment of what are known as reveals or ornamental edging or molding elements around the-outside edges of automobile windows.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a construction for automobile windows which will inexpensively permit the formation of reveals, around ,the outer edges of the window openings, in a wide variety of alternative ill shapes-each to accord with, and yet to provide a modification of, one general exterior design of the vehicle body. Dispensing with so-called fianging-in operations, this invention aims to form reveals without the use of expensive machinery and apparatus.

Closed automobile bodies are, of course, now generally made up of frame members, either wood or steel, and an outer covering or shell of sheet metal,-which is stamped and drawn to shape in presses; and it has been the custom, by difiicult and expensive stamping and drawing, to form the edges of. window openings in the outside panels into shapes which possess not only utility M but ,Qesthetic value conforming to the general ornamental design of the exterior of the body. The edgesof such window openings have been formed integral with, and as parts of, the exterior body panels; and the formation of reveals from those edges of the body panels which surround .the windows, as by stamping and drawing, has been an expensive process,-owing to the cost of the flanging-in dies necessary to form the peculiar shapes. Moreover, using the old method, each time it is desired to change the lines or the shapes of the panels around the edges oi'the window openings, it has been necessary to change the main dies and/or the flang'ing-in dies,which is an expensive business. Consequently, the edges of the window openings have generally been maintained, for considerable periods, in simple and standard forms; and the possibilities of separately varying either the general design of the exterior of the vehicle body panels or the form of the reveals has been very limited.

However, it becomes increasingly desirable, as the art of body building progresses, to be able separately to change, refine and beautify either a general exterior design or such details as those of window reveals. General changes may or may not involve changes in the shapes of the edges of window openings; but is essential that the cost of vehicle bodies be kept at the minimum and reduced if possible. To this end a construction is herein proposed which enables the large dies used for forming the exterior body panels to be separately formed and standardized, and to be limited, as much as possible, to main features of shape. The mentioned large dies accordingly need not be changed to accommodate changes in mere details,-such as those of reveal design; and it is no small advantage of the present invention that it enables suitable reveals to be separately formed, wholly or mainly from inexpensive rolled or extruded stock, and to be given any desired distinctive color or finish in advance or their disposition in window openings.

With these and other objects in View, the present invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements or parts, the preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accom- Z0 panying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an interior of a door for a closed automobile body embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on lines 2-2 of the door shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 or" the door shown in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, 1 have shown a door D for a closed automobile body,-said door being provided with an opening 0 for a window W and preferably including side frame members 10 and 11, a top frame member 12, an intermediate cross-frame member 13, and a cross bottom frame member (not shown) which is similar to the top cross frame member 12. These frame members may be of wood or steel; and in the present illustration they are constructed of wood. The outer edges of the side frame members 10 and 11 may be provided with metal covers or facings 14 in a conventional manner; and the outer side of the door is shown as formed of a sheet metal panel stamping 15 which has a window opening provided in its upper portion,the construction or" any inside panel 15' being immaterial.

According to a present practice, it is the custom to form the edges of the window openings in an outside panel of the door. That is, the edges of the door panel at the bottom, the sides and the top of the window opening are curved inwardly and return-bent to form a side wall for a channel or guide for the window glass, which ordinarily is mounted to slide vertically in opening and closing the window. These rebent 5 edge walls have heretofore generally been formed by means of what are known as hanging-in dies,which are expensive to provide andhave required, in their use, separate operations upon the panel after it has been generally formed.

nated.

In order to eliminate the necessity for these flanging-in dies, and. the separate operations in which they are used, I propose to form the panels and the edges of the window openings therein as shown in Figures 2 and 3. That is, separate reveal moldings or frames being used, the panel 15 may have its edges which surround the window opening formed merely with an inwardly extending lateral flange 17, which lies against (and may be secured by screws or other suitable means to) the inner faces of the door frame members 10 and 11 and 12. Thus all compound shapes in those edges of the outside panels which surround the window openings are eliminated; and the dies and extra, operations necessary to the formation and use thereof are likewise elimi- To provide the necessary reveals for the outside edges of the window openings, use is made of separate and/or polygonal frame-like members 20,which may be formed by steps including a rolling or an extrudingoperation which are much less expensive methods than are drawing and stamping'operations; and the rolled or extruded stock may be generally in the shape of a compound channel and may be aluminum which is very satisfactory as to the finishing and manufacturing problems, or steel or any other suitable metal may be used. The member 20 may have an outer edge 21 inwardly flanged as shown; and/or may include a flange extending parallel with window W and toward its inner edge and be flanged laterally as at 22 (but only in the portion that goes to form the reveal in its sides I and top) away from said inwardly extending outer edge flange 21. In that portion of the reveal which goes to form the bottom of the window opening, as shown in Figure 2, an inner edge 23 is preferably provided with a long downwardlyextending and rounded flange only,any flange 21 at the outer edge being the same as in the parts just described.

The member 20 may be formed in one or several parts. For example, the sides and top may beformed in one piece and then bent the shape of the window opening.

The sides and top parts of the reveal are shown as secured to the door frame by means comprising screws 22',preferably extending through those lateral flanges 22 which lie against the inner faces of the members 10, 11 and 12; but it will be understood that they may be secured thereto by other suitable means such as a welding of adjacent metal parts. Welding may be used whether or not the members 10 and 11 and 12 are formed of metal. In this connection, outer inturned edges 21 of the sides and top of the member 20 are preferably adapted to rest upon the inturned lateral flanges 17 of the main panel 15; and that portion 20 of the member 20 which forms the reveal element at the bottom edge of the window opening preferably has its outer inturned flange resting upon an inturned flange 17 of the main panel 15. This may overlie the upper side of a tacking strip 25 which is shown as extending between the side frame members 10 and 11; and suitable screws 30 may be introduced in openings formed in the lower reveal portion '20 and extend through the flanges 1'7-in the main panel 15 and into said tacking strip. The inner, downwardly extending and rounded flange 23 of the lower reveal portion 20' may extend downwardly a suflicient distance to contact against the inner side of the tacking strip 25; and the flanges 22 on the inner edges of the, side and top portions of the reveal 20 may underlie the bases of guide channels 31 for the window glass.

Conventional removable molding 40 may be provided for the inside of the window opening; and this molding may be so shaped as to form an inner wall 41, for the support of the window glass guides 31. United or separate outer reveal elements 20 and 20' may be formed by extrusion or rolling,which are much cheaper than stamping and drawing and which involve the use of parts that may be readily substituted to form reveals in'a variety of shapes and contours and at a very much smaller cost than would be required to make or change the main panel or flanging in dies to form the desired shapes. The assembly of the reveals to the other members of the window or door is very simply and easily performed.

I have thus provided a cheap and desirable form of reveal for the outside of a window opening,-which reveal may be readily altered to vary a general effect, or to conform to changes in general design, and which includes parts that may be plated or painted as desired previously to its application to the window,thus avoiding a difflculty in applying contrasting colors or ornamentation which arises in connection with those reveals that are formed integral with outer panels.

Although the molding 40 is shown as formed separately from the inner panel 15 and as secured by screws 40 it will be obvious that the separate formation of said molding is optional. This is true also of the provision of welded joints at the ends of the lower section 20 of the novel reveal member and the welding of the reveal in place, as at points which are marked at, accessible through concealed openings 42; and heads of screws 30, if such are employed, may engage either with an inclined web 43 or 43 or with the outer inturned flange 21 or 21, engageable with a corresponding and integral inturned flange 17 or 17 of the panel 15,-the lateral flanges 21 being shown as disposed in the same planes with the bottoms of glass-run channels 31.

It will be noted that webs 43, 43' and inturned flanges 21 or 21' (engageable with flanges 17 or 17) may be said to be so related to glass-parallel flanges 44 and to the inner inturned flanges 22, (engaging seating surfaces of frame elements) as to give to all sections of these novel reveals a cross section resembling a figure four in the provision of a diagonal element (43) having convergent elements (44, 21) connected therewith; but it will be obvious not only that various features of the present invention might be independently employed but also that numerous modifications, additional to any suggested herein, might easily be devised by skilled workers, if informed of tl e foregoing,all without departure from the scope of the present invention, as the latter is indicated above and in the following claims.

What I claim is:- I

1. In a car body, a panel provided with a window opening, the marginal edge of which is defined by an inturned flange, a frame disposed in said opening from the inside of the body to form the outer reveal portion of said window, the lateral edge of said frame being inwardly flanged and disposed in contact with and parallel to the flange of said opening.

2. In a car body, a panel provided with a window opening, the marginal edge of which is defined by an inturned flange, a frame disposed in said opening from the inside of the body to form the outer reveal portion of said window, the lateral edge of said frame being inwardly flanged and disposed in contact with and parallel to the flange of said opening, all portions of said frame being disposed within the lateral and vertical confines of said opening.

3. In a car body, a panel provided with a window opening, the marginal edge of which is defined by an inturned flange, a frame having its lateral edge inwardly flanged, said frame disposed parallel to and being press fitted in said opening from the inside of the body to have the flange of the frame intimately contacting the flange defining said window opening.

4. In a car body, a panel provided with a flanged window opening, a frame having a reveal comprising a flange at the outer side thereof engageable with the flange provided on said panel, and welded connections between said flanges, at least a portion of said frame being provided with concealed openings for affording access to said welded connections.

CHARLES H. WIDMAN. 

